Just Joined - Going to be a first time Motor Homer

[Monty777]

I have a Hymer Exsis I 414, which would meet your stated needs, 6mtr long, rear double over garage and front drop down double, large garage fits 3 road bikes or 2 mountain bikes + outside chairs, table, surfboards etc, payload is circa 750kg. Ours has a full oven, solar panel, awning, roof bars etc. The base vehicle is a Fiat Ducato. They are fairly rare being the smallest A class that Hymer made-the thing to bear in mind with 6mtr vans is that the interior space is fairly tight.
Hope that helps.
John

 

[MillyMoHo]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your Motorhoming.

 

[gus-lopez]

 

[Squeak]

Hi,
Thanks for letting me join this forum. I will be purchasing a motor home early next year and so looking forward to it. Looking at 4 berth compact vans (with drop down bed) as < 6m in length, easier to tow and park etc. Any hints and tips, please send my way!

Hello & welcome

I live in my Swift 614, "4 berth compact van (with drop down bed)" & whilst I love her to bits if I were any taller than my 5' 6" then the height of the drop down bed would be an issue. When I have people taller than me come to stay then I'm forever repeating "mind your head". This phrase is repeated through the night because the cupboards under the bed leave only just enough room for your head to fit under with about a 6inch gap between your head & the cupboard. There's an art to sleeping on the bottom bed...lol

Make sure the drop down bed isn't manual, like mine. I have a workout 1st thing in the morning having to push it up & the cupboards that are attatched underneath the bed can only hold 15kg between the 4 of them, they can only really hold the lightest of things or it makes my morning workout even harder.

If there is 2 of you then climbing into a drop down bed is another art. In my van, if you need to get up in the night the person with the ladder on their side clearly has the advantage. If that's not you then it's a case of either kicking your partner out so you can use the ladder, rolling over the top of them or climbing on to the front seats, feeling your way down, hoping your foot finds the seat & not the gap & if you haven't turned the seats back into driving mode be prepared for the seat to start spinning just as you need the support, forcing you to crash land (just wake your partner up it will save the trip being a complete disaster).

You can't sit on the side of my drop down bed & swing your legs over, you can't sit up on mine full stop & be prepared to bash the roof a good few times when you roll over in the night with your elbows or hands until you get used to it.

I haven't used the van in the really hot weather yet but I can see that making up the dining area as my summer bed might have its advantages. Warm air rises & the drop down bed gets a tad cosy in certain circumstances. There is only a very small sky light above the bed, a bigger sky light above the cab but not much air circulates if the night is muggy & there's rain forecast in the night so they may have to remain shut. I'm lucky & have aircon but dont know if I'll be able to sleep with it running on quiet mode all night.

The other issue is if I need the dining table up then it's a faff to maneuver around it & if anyone else is in the van then they either have to sit & stay at the table, go in the kitchen which means they are in the way or bugger off outside...lol.
Think seriously about how you are going to use the van on a day to day basis, if there is 2 of you the space is going to feel very tight at times.

The length of the van isn't really an issue as you don't tend to notice the length, car parking with a 6mtr or 7mtr van will still take up 4 spaces in the carpark & because they are all bigger than the average family car we are naturally more conscious of how big the are.

If I had to look at buying another, I personally would go for one that had twin beds at the back but that's my personal choice.

Good luck with you hunt for the perfect motorhome & enjoy the fun you will have in it.

 

[BernieTony]

My advice is think about your bedtime habits. How do you sleep? Does one of you go to the toilet a lot in the night etc. We’re on Moho number 5. 1 was a total disaster, totally wrong layout for us. 2 was ok, other than hubby had to make up the bed because I was too short to reach over ( it was a French bed). Number 3 was an island bed. We loved it but lack of a garage for bigger stuff and a small undercounter fridge was annoying. 4- we only kept for 3 months riddled with damp, so the dealership took it back and we bought number 5. It has a big fridge, a big garage and a twin high beds that can be converted in a huge double with a drop down double bed. 5 belted travel seats. The seating can also be turned into another double with infills and the table, but we will never use it. It’s a swift, so no wood used in the caravan part ( obs wood for furniture and cupboards). Good luck and welcome to fun.

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[Figaro]

My advice is think about your bedtime habits. How do you sleep? Does one of you go to the toilet a lot in the night

I don't think you want to know about most funsters bedtime habits
All the blokes of a certain age make frequent visits to the lavvy.

 

[Machbuster]

<than 6 meters is good when travelling abroad, because it's cheeper on the ferry, but then don't carry any bikes on the back. for two people a 6 meter should be sufficient, if you only pack the necessary. If you wish to travel in the winter, make sure you get a good make, as many of the cheaper ones are not really fit for winter camping, and I don't mean up in the Alps, only on the Continent, when temperatures are below say 5-7 degrees. Less is best and good luck

 

[richard8]

Hello, you might like to look at the Benimar 481, Tessoro. 4 belted seats, drop down bed, with plenty of entertaining space, we have had 6 around the table in comfort.. 50£k should buy you one around 5 years old and they are just under 6m. I’ve fitted a towbar bike rack to the chassis which carries 2 heavy ebikes. Good luck.

 

[richws]

I have a Hymer Exsis I 414, which would meet your stated needs, 6mtr long, rear double over garage and front drop down double, large garage fits 3 road bikes or 2 mountain bikes + outside chairs, table, surfboards etc, payload is circa 750kg. Ours has a full oven, solar panel, awning, roof bars etc. The base vehicle is a Fiat Ducato. They are fairly rare being the smallest A class that Hymer made-the thing to bear in mind with 6mtr vans is that the interior space is fairly tight.
Hope that helps.
John

Hi John, I don’t suppose you are looking to sell your i 414. We just missed out on one the other day. Let me know. Many thanks

 

[richws]

I have a Hymer Exsis I 414, which would meet your stated needs, 6mtr long, rear double over garage and front drop down double, large garage fits 3 road bikes or 2 mountain bikes + outside chairs, table, surfboards etc, payload is circa 750kg. Ours has a full oven, solar panel, awning, roof bars etc. The base vehicle is a Fiat Ducato. They are fairly rare being the smallest A class that Hymer made-the thing to bear in mind with 6mtr vans is that the interior space is fairly tight.
Hope that helps.
John

Hi John. I don’t suppose you want to sell you exsis I 414 as we just missed out on one the other day. Many thanks

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[Machbuster]

Hi John, I don’t suppose you are looking to sell your i 414. We just missed out on one the other day. Let me know. Many thanks

I expect to sell my Hymer Exsis-i 504 2020 model, LHD, in about 2 years, due to moving away